Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Theme

    When one member suffers, all members suffer: Peace as accompaniment and solidarity

    If we are interested in embodying God’s peace and justice in this world, what happens to one affects and should also matter to others.

    Biblical text:

    1 Corinthians 12:12–27
    Ruth 1:1–17
    Ephesians 4:1–6
    Galatians 6:1–5

     

    Additional resources in this package

    Additional resources available online:

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  • Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.

    The Bible undergirds human rights

    “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

    Here in Burkina Faso, we have been confronted with terrorist attacks for more than four years. It is an inexplicable situation, because even though the attacks are recurring, no one has claimed responsibility.

    Faced with this situation, the government has turned to all parts of society including the churches to provide explanations, receive counsel and ask for prayers for the nation.

    In Bobo-Dioulasso, where I live and carry out my pastoral ministry, the Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions has hosted a number of visits from government ministries.

    Human rights

    In 2019 we hosted a visit of the Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of Integration, Solidarity and Social Cohesion.

    During these visits, I had the opportunity to speak in the name of the churches. I said to Madam Minister of Human Rights and to the representative of the Ministry of Integration, Solidarity and Social Cohesion that the foundations upon which their work is based are principles from the Bible.

    The Bible is the foundational document defending human rights.

    God pays attention to the need to defend the rights of the weakest. Does not the Bible say: “Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” (Zachariah 7:10)

    First and foremost, God is the defender of human rights.

    According to my personal analysis, which I preach in church and share with our government authorities, I would say that the crisis my country is experiencing is due to the following injustices:

    • A poor distribution of the resources of the country that promotes unemployment, thereby facilitating the enrollment of young people in terrorist and jihadist movements.
    • According to human rights organizations, there are also extrajudicial executions. I read the testimony of a young person who said, “Some of us enroll in terrorist, jihadist movements because members of our families were kidnapped, accused by security forces, and disappeared, so in order to avenge what happened to them, we are fighting the system of government.”

    There is no peace without justice.

    Peace and justice

    The authorities of our country have confidence in us and ask for our contribution in the search for peace. Each time they come to us, we give them hope by leaning on the promises of God: “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage” (Psalm 33:12).

    By leaning on such words, we place Burkina Faso under God’s control. We have the conviction that the contribution of the churches through prayers has an impact on the country. We say without ceasing: “Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain” (Psalm 127: 1b).

    We also organize prayer meetings for the nation and on these occasions we invite the administrative and political authorities.

    At the occasion of one of the prayer meetings that we were preparing last year, the president of Parliament visited us. He asked us to pray for the nation to avoid fighting and political divisions.

    When he learned that we were organizing a prayer meeting at the House of Culture, he covered the cost of renting the space as well as the cost of refreshments for all of the participants, even though he was Muslim.

    The Eternal remains our hope in this struggle. The visit of a delegation of Mennonite World Conference in a few days will strengthen our hope, knowing that brothers and sisters are thinking of us and praying for us.

    “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble… He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;…” (Psalm 46:1,9).

    —A Mennonite World Conference release by Siaka Traoré, Deacons Commission chair. He lives in Burkina Faso.

  • From 1–8 December 2019, a joint delegation from Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission and Deacons Commission visited three Mennonite churches in Hong Kong, other denominations and also some educational institutions to offer solidarity and to respond to the request for further perspectives on Anabaptist peacemaking.

    The delegation members included Peace Commission Chair and Coffee for Peace founder Joji Pantoja, Peace Commission member and Canadian Mennonite University’s peace and conflict transformation instructor Wendy Kroeker, Deacons Commission chair Siaka Traoré and Deacons secretary, Henk Stenvers.

    During their time with the members of the church, the delegation listened to the experiences and hopes of the members of the church while also sharing some of their experience of mediation and reconciliation through an Anabaptist lens.

    Henk Stenvers said: “We were there to offer solidarity to our brothers and sisters, showing them they are not alone in this trying time. Churches globally are not immune to conflicts and the political dynamics around them. By visiting them, we get to see what they are experiencing, listen to them, and also encourage them by sharing our peacemaking experience.”

    Political discussion never quite existed in Hong Kong, a place that has long enjoyed stability and economic prosperity – at least overtly.

    “People here were focused on being productive be it in their studies or at work. Now they have political aspiration, but politics are dividing the people, including in the church,” said Jeremiah Choi, pastor of Agape Mennonite Church in Hong Kong.

    “We ask that the global church support us in prayer. Pray for wisdom for the leaders, the protesters, and the police; that there will be a peaceful resolution to this; and that churches can have unity and become peacemakers when some choose to be violent,” Jeremiah Choi asked.

    About the Hong Kong protest

    Hong Kong is currently experiencing its most tumultuous political situation in decades. Protests in Hong Kong, mostly involving young people, are continuing into a sixth month demanding withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill, investigation into alleged police brutality during the protests, full amnesty for those arrested during the protest, declassification of protesters as “rioters,” and universal suffrage in Hong Kong. Although the extradition bill has been withdrawn, the protesters are refusing to back down until all five demands are met.

    —a Mennonite World Conference release by Elina Ciptadi

    #followingJesus

    #peace

    Notes of encouragement
  • Sermon notes for Peace Sunday

    Background to the Letter

    The Writer

    This is a profound letter written by Paul. Rarely do we take the time to think about the conditions under which this letter was written in Philippi, but it is important to analyze the context of the author a bit in order to understand the why and the intentions behind the words.

    Paul is sent to prison, not for a crime like endangering public safety or slandering a fellow citizen, but for preaching the gospel. His faithfulness to his calling and vocation lead him into an extreme situation that results in a prison sentence. His stay in prison while awaiting trial and a verdict creates such uncertainty about the future for him that it comes through in his words, “dying is gain” (Philippians 1:20-24). Just as death is a preferable outcome for any prisoner under extreme conditions, the challenge becomes to remain alive and make sense of suffering. Paul’s conviction about his mission and purpose in life enables him to overcome the situation and go beyond himself so that the mission can be accomplished in spite of the circumstances (1:12-14).

    Paul refers to two people who are accompanying him during this difficult time. One is Timothy (Philippians 1:1) and the other is Epaphroditus (2:25) who is sent as Paul’s representative to the church and from whom he received help in his hour of need.

    The Setting

    There are a number of first-century literary texts that speak about ancient prisons. They were cramped spaces, with little air movement, over-crowded, dark, gross and unsanitary. Prisoners were subjected to physical and mental torture, chained up with irons about their hands, feet and neck. They were under military guard and sometimes even chained to a soldier. Execution was often delayed in order to torture the prisoner more, allowing them to live with uncertainty as to when they will be condemned (Philippians 1:20). Prestigious prisoners had it better since they were free of chains. However, according to the testimony in Acts (16:22-24), the imprisonment of Paul and Silas was not that of the privileged classes. So, this gives us an idea of what kind of experience Paul was living through as he wrote this letter.

    The Recipients

    This letter is written to the church in Philippi, mainly addressed to the bishops, deacons and other interested parties. The use of words like bishops and deacons indicates that the Church was already fairly organized with some kind of established structure. It is possible that this organization was influenced by the structure of other Greek groups (1:1-2). It is a church that was founded by Paul and to which he feels very close (4:1). The letter is full of compliments and words of love and friendship (1:3,12). Something that stands out in the letter is the invocation to rejoice which makes us ask: How can Paul invoke joy and urge his readers to rejoice while being in the predicament that he is in? Another question that arises is: What difficulties have led this church, which has provided so much satisfaction to Paul, to lose their joy so that Paul must call them to recover or maintain it?

    Loving another with whom one has a history full of experiences, satisfactions and mutual growth is what can urge one to put one’s self aside and think about the other even under hurtful and risky conditions, as was the case with Paul. This is one of the reasons why Paul is not thinking about where he is, or his possible death, or the daily suffering of this terrible place. His concern for others is what motivates him to write and encourage them to continue growing until they reach their goal (3:12-15).

    I would like to highlight three important ideas that this letter shows us are of concern to Paul:

    1. To be careful of religious people who impose rituals (the Jews) as if this were more important than following Jesus (3:1-10);

    2. To continue to be joyful in the Lord (3:1); and

    3. To demonstrate his gratitude for all the support that they have given him during these difficult times by sending them Epaphroditus (2:25-30).

    It is through these lenses that we can enter into the text for this year that invites us to review and find important dimensions of the peace that surpasses all understanding.

    Philippians 4:6–7

    Introduction

    What crisis situations exist in life that will lead us to experience the peace of God?

    Reina is the name of a Cameroonian woman who braved the journey from her country, as many others do, in order to pursue the “American Dream” that she believed would result in an abundant life and well being. The first country where she landed was Brazil. Here she could stay for a year and one half, working and saving money so that she could continue her journey towards the USA. She tells how difficult it was because she could not speak Portuguese. But she learned it and her will and dressmaking skills enabled her to work as an upholsterer. In this way she was able to earn a bit of money and also make some friends.

    She started her journey through Latin America, suffering hardship, hunger and dangers. Soon her money was up and she asked a Brazilian friend to lend her $100 USD that she promised to pay back. In this way she was able to continue. The journey was long and filled with danger. She says that in Panama she was given only one hour to cross the country, and she was deported many times before she managed it. She says that the most dangerous country for her was Colombia. It was risky passing through guerilla zones and crossing abandoned places and she saw many people around her die. In Nicaragua, she was robbed and was given only a handful of rice when someone had compassion on her. There were many good people in Mexico who helped her, but there were also places that had to be traversed very carefully.

    When she finally got to the border, she applied for asylum and was taken to a detention center where she stayed for one year (GEO Detention Center in Aurora, Colorado). 

    There she had everything she needed. She learned more Spanish and some English. Even so, relationships were difficult because she had no family and no future. She couldn’t keep her process going because she had no identification papers. She thought that they were stolen from her along the way. But, her faith increased and she had hope that God would help her. A stranger by the name of Maria, who lived in the USA, offered to help her and be her support, but for that she needed identification. 

    Reina didn’t have any and she asked only one thing, that Maria call her friend in Brazil to tell her that she has not forgotten her debt and that when she leaves the detention center she will work to pay back what she owes. It is in this way that Maria called Brazil, explained Reina’s situation and to her great surprise discovered that Reina left her identification in Brazil! A miracle! This enabled the process to continue and allowed Reina to be released to continue her political asylum process. At every turn in the story, the phrase “Only God” would come out of her mouth. With every situation that she mentioned she would say, “Only God saves, heals, cares for, loves and frees.” She said it with such conviction and firmness, and her eyes shone with the joy, surprise and admiration that goes with seeing the miracle in every situation where God intervened. There was no human explanation, only the sincere faith in the One in whom she believes.

    How can there be so much peace in the midst of so much suffering?

    And not just in those who experience it, but that they are also moved to inspire and motivate those around them to live and experience that peace that only comes from above? But, how is does this peace come about?

    I. A call to experience this peace that passes all understanding.

    Paul is in prison, in chains, under conditions that probably most of us have never experienced. In any critical situation two ways of living with the difficulties can be observed: a) Be the victim: only look at yourself, suffer for yourself and tell all those around you how much you are suffering so that they see your condition. Be a victim and wait for others around you to move because of what has happened to you, or b) Take care of yourself and get to work. Another way, be concerned about yourself while always thinking about those around you and those who are left out. 

    A crisis situation creates uncertainty and pain about the future (it could be physical or emotional). However, love for others, be it for family, friends, church, etc., enables the person to overcome the situation and leads to deep reflections on their own behalf and on behalf of those around them. It is the presence of God that nourishes and orients, producing a peace that can be felt, making the impossible possible; a peace that allows the heart to trust, be secure, be saved and be well, in spite of the circumstances. 

    The chains, the military watch, the physical space of prison, the uncertainty about the sentence – whether life or death – do not prevent Paul from lifting his eyes and seeing his beloved brothers and sisters in Philippi and being concerned for them.

    II. How this deep peace comes about

    Accompanying with love and friendship

    Paul is accompanied by Timothy, and he tells us about this in different moments and circumstance, including now in prison. It would seem that the condition of prisoner allows him to have the presence of Timothy. He also received Epaphroditus (3:25-27) who represents the beloved church in Philippi. They send resources to meet Paul’s needs and through Epaphroditus he receives the affection that the church sends to him (4:15-17).

    Reconciliation (4:2-3)

    Paul pleads with his loyal companion (whose name is not mentioned) to be a mediator for two women who worked with Clement and others in forming a group to preach the gospel. Now Euodia and Scyntyche have their differences and are separated. Paul in prison knows about this and sends these lines to promote reconciliation. He understands the importance of people living in the peace of God through dialogue and reconciliation.

    Rejoicing (4:4-5)

    The situation in prison does not stop him from rejoicing as he remembers the church that he loves and he asks them too to rejoice in the Lord, insisting: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” This insistence is a call to pay attention and do it. The chains cannot limit the joy that our memories of close relationships with people far away produce.

    Do not worry but pray (4:6)

    Paul could be communicating worry in this letter, but it is the complete opposite. The letter reflects a Paul who trusts fully in the Lord in the midst of his adversity. Even though the circumstances are difficult and the future is very uncertain, he trusts and has faith in the Lord.

    With all of the above we can experience that deep peace that surpasses all understanding.

    III. The surpassing peace

    Verse 7 begins with an “And”, the purpose of which is to show what it means to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

    “And”, means: Accompany in love and friendship, be reconciled, express joy, don’t worry; rather, pray. All of this leads to an experience of the peace that surpasses all understanding.

    This declaration comes out of extreme conditions like: the prison of Paul, the route Reina traveled through Latin America while facing the threat of death, the 16th-century Anabaptists who could sing in the face of death and historical figures near and far who, through their life and witness, demonstrate the peace that passes all understanding.

    Conclusion

    Today, extreme situations can be found in every land and context. This beautiful passage echoes in our lives again calling us to live the peace that passes all understanding and guarding our hearts in Jesus Christ, who is our Lord.

    What extreme situation do you live with in your context when this profound peace of God is felt?

    May you bear witness to your experiences of the peace that surpasses all understanding in the midst of crisis and conflict that life produces.

    —Rebeca González Torres (Mexico)

     

    This article is part of the Peace Sunday worship resource for 2019. Click here to see more.

     

  • “The global church works best when all her parts are engaged in sharing their stories,” said Patrick Obonde, director of missions at the Anabaptist Leadership Education Centre in Kenya.

    On 17–19 June 2019, historians, pastors and archivists did just that at “Power and Preservation: Enabling Access to the Sources Behind Our Stories,” at Goshen College, Indiana, USA. An initiative of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism (ISGA), the conference had 16 presentations on the state of the historical sources and storytelling in African, Asian, North American, and Latin American Anabaptist churches and organizations.

    Presenters addressed resources, access and commitment to preserving history in their contexts.

    Although each raised unique concerns, common themes emerged.

    • Oral history is a priority. Digitizing sources has great potential for preservation and increased accessibility, but it also requires significant financial resources.
    • The love of power or fear of its loss can make access to historical documents difficult.
    • A tradition of localism is a barrier to preservation. “Everyone feels comfortable with how things are,” said Ursula Giesbrecht, archivist of the Menno Colony in Loma Plata, Paraguay. “It is always difficult to move away from your customs.”

    At the end of the symposium, the group drafted a statement that synthesized the themes addressed at the gathering.

     Laura Miller“As followers of Jesus Christ our history connects us, reminds us of the Spirit’s activity among us, and calls us forward into the future,” it declares. “Archives play a crucial role in helping us to understand the inseparability of the stories of church and mission.”

    This statement declares the importance of historical identity, the urgency of recording stories, and the necessity of access to sources in a healthy church community. The statement also recognizes barriers churches face in preserving and providing access to historical sources, and concludes with a list of commitments signed by 29 participants from 12 countries.

    According to Roth, the idea for the symposium was born in conversations with Anicka Fast, a doctoral student whose research on Mennonite mission in DR Congo was inhibited by limited or restricted access to archives, and by the precarious condition of documents. The organizers sought to broaden the discussion regarding preservation and access, and address how historical narratives shape the identity of the global church.

    Pamela Sari, whose PhD research examined Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (MWC member church in Indonesia), is hopeful about the future of Mennonite archives. “The church is truly gifted with leaders, missionaries, members, scholars, archivists who care deeply about its history. I pray that God will continue to increase our capacity to stay planted in the love and truth of Christ and his Word.”

    —An MWC release by Laura Miller / Goshen College

     

    Click here to read the statement.

  • Colombia is in the early stages of a peace process signed in late 2016 between the largest guerilla group and the national government. Even though many of us had high hopes that the peace agreements would bring a turnaround in the country’s history of violence, many armed actors remain and proliferate cases of political corruption and assassinations of social leaders and human rights defenders – all of which hinder our human rights and divine calling to peace. Colombia’s context of violence impacts our whole society, including church communities, especially those in rural areas caught in the crossfire of armed groups (legal and illegal) and abandoned by the state.

    The passage in Philippians 4:7 encourages us to trust in the promise of the peace of God, a peace that transcends all understanding. One church community I visited in the southwestern region of the country during this post-agreement stage embodies trusting in God’s peace. The town’s residents have been witness to armed clashes since the 1960s. The latest clash between two insurgent armed groups lasted six days. When I got to the community, about three days after the clashes had ended, I met various church leaders of the area. Some of these leaders included an indigenous campesino (peasant farmer) couple who had come from the side of the mountain where the clashes had occurred. I greeted them and asked them how their week had been, they responded “Very well because of the grace of God.”

    Upon further discussion they shared that the clashes were deeply affecting their community. Many people were afraid to leave their homes since curfews had been installed by the armed groups. Several members of the community were being asked to leave their land. That land is what the armed groups fight to have control over: rich and fertile soil perfect for illicit crop cultivation.

    Yes, this couple’s church community up in the mountain was facing the real effects of war once again, yet they remained faithful and trusting in the peace of God. They organized community prayer nights from seven at night until three in the morning several nights that week, trusting God with their fates. They also kept encouraging the members of their community to keep growing food and vegetable crops and not to submit to illicit crop cultivation. They were also organizing with other church leaders in the area to plan nonviolent methods of resistance. They were not going to be displaced; this was their land.

    The couple shared with me that they were very thankful for God’s protection that week since no one from the church community or the general community had been caught in the crossfire (although there were some deaths from either side of the armed groups). “All we can do,” they said, “is to share the message of God through Jesus so that this violence and war may end.”

    This is exactly what they do. This community embodies the promise of God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding. It does not make sense to pray, to take care of the land, or to organize to keep a community rooted when there is a war that is seeking to tear people apart, to destroy crops, and to displace communities, yet these are the actions of peace this community understands as following the way of Christ.

    The clashes between the two insurgent armed groups have ceased for now, but the armed groups and their dispute over control of the territory remains. The church community also remains, demonstrating that God’s peace is active and alive even in the middle of strife and uncertainty, even in the crossfire.

    —Andrea Moya 

     

    This testimony is part of the Peace Sunday worship resource for 2019. Click here to see more.

     

    Klicken Sie hier, um diese Geschichte auf Deutsch zu lesen.

     

  • “Although each congregation has its own history and social and cultural background, it is common to experience the same sorts of conflicts, troubles, and situations,” says Ellul Yongha Bae, a Mennonite church leader and publisher in South Korea.

    “MWC Communications is very helpful to show that as Mennonite churches, we have raised similar questions and tried to figure out solutions with a focus on community, discipleship and peace issues.”

    Daejanggan publishing company has been translating Mennonite books into Korean since 2010, including the 2015 Global Anabaptist Mennonite Shelf of Literature book Life in the Spirit by John Driver.

    “It is not easy to find a good model about radical movements in Korean Christian history,” says Ellul Yongha Bae. Teaching on peace is crucial in Korea because of the continuing wound created by the split between North and South Korea.

    “We believe that Mennonite peace theology can be a good way to teach Christian ethics and a practical way of life,” says Ellul Yongha Bae.

    Daejanggan pays translators a small stipend to work on these books to help the Korean Anabaptist churches learn alongside other MWC churches. “It guides us to see there are other possible ways that we can see other than Christendom,” says Ellul Yongha Bae.

    The publisher is part of an organization that includes a web design firm and small farm. Donations – some from international Anabaptist partners like Hutterites and Bruderhof communities – help finance the translations.

    The Mennonite books are mostly read by seminarians and lay leaders in Anabaptist house churches. But they also appeal to other Christians in Korea who seek alternative ways of living out a Christian life, says Ellul Yongha Bae.

    “Although we are small, it is very meaningful to confess that we are followers of Jesus Christ in the context of Anabaptist ways of discipleship,” says Ellul Yongha Bae.

    “The Global Anabaptist/Mennonite Shelf of Literature invites our members to participate in a global conversation about matters of faith and practice from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective,” says John D Roth, secretary of the Faith and Life Commission. “Many of the books are co-authored by leaders from different cultural contexts; most of the books include study questions, which aid small group discussion; and all of them are deeply rooted in Scripture.”

    Click here for links to all eight titles in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Shelf of Literature.

    —Mennonite World Conference release 

     

    Global Anabaptist Mennonite Shelf of Literature:

    Anabaptist Seed

    De Semilla Anabautista (Spanish)

    Graines d’anabaptisme (French)

    重洗派的根源 (Chinese)

    Täuferische Saat – Weltweites Wachstum (German)

    Anabaptist Beej se (Hindi)

    „Ç¢„Éä„Éê„Éó„ÉÜ„Çπ„Éà„ÅÆÁ®Æ„Åã„Çâ  (Japanese)

    재세례신앙의 씨앗으로 부터 (Korean)

    Từ Hạt Giống Anabaptist (Vietnamese)

     

    Sharing Gifts in the Global Family of Faith

    Compartiendo Dones en la Familia Global de la Fe (Spanish)

    Dons de chacun au service de tous (French)

    Teilen, was wir sind und haben (German)

     

    God’s Shalom Project

    Shalom – un proyecto de Dios (Spanish)

    Shalom, le projet de Dieu (French)

    Schalom – das Projekt Gottes (German)

    シャローム 神のプロジェクト (Japanese)

     

    A Culture of Peace

    Ein Kultur des Friedens (German)

     

    Stewardship for All?

     

    What we Believe Together

    Lo que juntos creemos (Spanish)

    Was wir gemeinsam glauben (German)

    Keyakinan kita bersama: mengungkap butir-butir keyakinan bersama gereja-gereja Anabaptist (Indonesia)

    우리가 함께 믿는 것 (Korean)

     

    Life Together in the Spirit

    Convivencia Radical (Spanish)

    Vivre ensemble, unis dans Esprit (French)

    Hidup Bersama dalam Roh: Spiritualitas Radikal untuk Abad Kedua Pubu Satu (Indonesian)

    성령과 함께 하는 삶: 21세기의 급진적 영성 (Korean)

    Vida no Espírito em Comunidade : Uma Espiritualidade Radical para o Século XXI (Portuguese)

     

    God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective

    El Pueblo de Dios en Misio?n: una Perspectiva Anabautista  forthcoming (Spanish)

    Le peuple de Dieu dans la mission : une perspective anabaptiste – forthcoming (French)

     


    If you know of a translated version that is not listed here, please let us know.
    Email
    info@mwc-cmm.org


     

     

  • Missional Frontier: Our goal is to share every year one missional frontier with the members of GMF and GASN networks. The idea is to inform, learn, and inspire about the work and challenges that Anabaptist churches and organizations are facing in a particular country.


    Country context in Brief

    Kenya Mennonite Church (KMC) is a conference registered in The Republic of Kenya. Kenya has a total land area of 581,309km2. Around 9.5% of this total land area is arable. The population is 48 million with a growth rate of 2.3%. Women constitute 52% while 75% of this population is below 30 years while 8 million are aged between 15 and 24 years. Life expectancy stands at 50 years. Kiswahili is the national language while English is the official language. There are 43 other ethnic and urban youth languages. Adult literacy rate stands is 78% with female rate at 42.7%.

    Kenya is a secular state. However, Christianity remains the dominant religion with Protestants and Catholics constituting about 45% and 33% respectively. Islam is at 11%, while Indigenous at 9% and 2% being other minority faiths. The constitution K2010 guarantees full religious freedom. There are twenty-two unreached people groups (UPGs).

    Economically, the country is an agricultural producer with light industries. Kenya is also a tourist industry. Nearly 50% of the population survives on less than $1 per day while 40% of labour force is unemployed. Real GDP growth is 4-5% with inflation rate recording 5% as at January 2018.

    KMC’s history and mission structures

    KMC traces her beginnings from Tanzania Mennonite Church (KMT). KMT inspired evangelists planted pioneer congregations in Kenya from 6 December 1942. Up till 1977 when the Conference was registered under Societies Act of Kenya, the KMT leadership oversaw the congregations. KMC exists to obey the great commandment (Matt 22:36-40) and commission (Matt. 28:18-20). The Church envisions a holistic empowered dynamic and multiplying missional church that impacts God’s shalom in a transformed world. In mission, we evangelize, disciple and equip individuals to witness a Christ centred peace and compassion within our families, across cultures and in public spaces. Our rallying call is “Everybody is a missionary where is and everywhere”.

    Structurally, the Church has a hierarchical organization based on seven geographically defined dioceses. The overall authority of KMC is vested in the congregation of voting members at an Annual General Conference. Conference attendees are diocesan delegates, pastoral teams and lay program leaders. The Church organs include: Mission Field Cell Fellowship (MFCF), Congregation, Local and Diocesan Church Councils. A National Executive Council (NEC) is the superior mission and administration organ that runs Conference affairs.

    Historical and ongoing mission challenges

    KMC celebrates the contradictions manifest in most post-modern Christian church, periods of vibrant growth, stagnation, decline and renewal. The Church has for decades recorded impressive growth with adherents once reported at 35,000 members. This exponential growth witnessed congregations being established beyond the traditional geographical rural regions of Nyanza. However, this growth encountered challenges which include:

    Poverty and marginalization:

    Congregations are predominantly feminine and rural based with very high incidence of illiteracy, poverty and disease. Despite women membership constituting two thirds, patriarchal traditions continue to marginalize their access to leadership roles. Minority people groups such as refugees have also remained neglected. These fragile conditions diminish the Church’s capacity to adequately resource mission work.

    Inadequate Anabaptist theological and Leadership training:

    Historically, KMC blossomed under evangelist oriented dual leadership for mission and congregation. The place of theology, academics, structures and systems remain held in suspicion, doubt and contempt. The Pastor’s congregational governance duties has diminished mission to a non-priority business.

    Negative ethnicity, clannism and inequalities:

    Secular and Church politics share a history of rewarding negative otherness, tribalism and clannism. These factors influence the way both the pews and the pulpit are populated. Congregations tend to emerge as alternate ethnic and clan social security formations with large populations of baptized but nominal and secularized Christians.

    Changed environment of Idolatry and youth exodus:

    The working class and students have affinity for idols, self-gratification and instant answers to generational life challenges. This group despises the promise of faith and the “Jesus Kingdom”. Instead they have embraced anti-intellectualism, syncretism, legalism and unmitigated human rights narratives. The resulting trend is dechristianization and exiting the Church.

    Inter-faith competition, conflict and violence:

    Kenya faces the dual challenge of, an aggressive spread of Islam and the threat of insecurity posed by Al-Shabaab Islamic extremists. The terror group trains and arm young Muslims to kill Christians and destroy Churches. Evangelism and mission work, in predominantly Muslim regions, is a high-risk undertaking that few Christians would dare try.

    A record of hope and fruit-bearing practices

    KMC is celebrating several mission patterns by reaffirming mission as the core business of the Church. The Church established a mission agency styled KMC-SPAN Ministry (Sending Peace to All Nations). The Church confesses that Jesus is the Peace for witnessing in the ever-violent mission context. SPAN undertakes planning and implementation of programs under the NEC’s Secretariat. The renewal outcomes are both a product of faithful prayers and strategic visioning, planning and execution.

    The replicable approaches include:

    Partnering for synergy and gift sharing in the Body of Christ:

    KMC successfully established cross-cultural missions in Uganda and Kenya among the UPGs. Through own initiatives and partnerships, the Church runs several unique community mission and inter-faith interventions.

    Everybody is a missionary:

    We exploit the job-seeking push and pull factors that drive the work and education migration trends as an opportunity. Members share the gospel and promote the establishment of pre-congregation MFCF in their new cross-culture locations.

    Interfaith peace discipleship and contextualization:

    Christian-Muslim relations is a priority for the Church’s mission. We conduct specially designed cross-culture, community and school focused mission ministries through Eastleigh Fellowship Centre (EFC) and Centre for Peace & Nationhood (CPN) initiatives in predominantly Muslim neighbourhoods of Nairobi County. These mission programs promote coaching, discipleship and person to person witnessing through trainings, youth sports, business entrepreneurship, community wellness, school peace clubs, inter-faith dialogues, community health and nutrition.

    Mapping, sending and relational building:

    We respond to Church planting as shared by missional surveys and contacts. Specifically, we take the gospel to UPG areas by directly sponsoring missionaries who to evangelize and plant churches in identified priority cross-culture communities.

    Conclusion

    In spite of the daunting challenges facing KMC, our confidence rests in the words of Apostle Paul (Phil. 4:13). As the Church gets down to pray, we have prioritized two thematic areas for intervention. These are cross-culture entry and contextualized mission among Turkana County and South Sudanese. Secondly, Anabaptist leadership education for Youth and Women will equip and enhance their access to missional leadership roles for an integrated holistic ministry in a fast-changing world.

    By Rev. Patrick J. Obonde (KMC-SPAN Missions)